Indian women turning to female only transport to stay safe

Sexual violence is again making headlines in India after five men were sentenced to life in prison for gang-raping a Danish woman in 2014. Fear of such violence is prompting more women in Delhi to opt for female-only transport in order to feel safe.

      India transport women safety

“We don’t have men drivers, just lady drivers and that makes our clients feel safe and I feel safe too." Source: SBS News

Madhu Kushwah is calmly negotiating her way through Delhi’s chaotic traffic, ignoring the relentless honking of horns and apparently unfazed by the cars and auto rickshaws that keep veering dangerously across the road in front of her.  Ms Kushwah seems to be one of the few drivers to have read, and heeded, the street signs urging motorists to “Follow Lane Discipline.”

The 27-year-old is dressed in her work uniform, a blue shalwar kameez with pink trimming, and driving a white sedan that’s seen better days.  As a female taxi driver, Ms Kushwah is a very rare breed in India.  She is an employee of Sakha cabs – the pink and purple sticker on the driver’s door says: “Cabs for Women By Women”.

“I like this job very much. It’s totally different,” says Ms Kushwah who’s been ferrying female passengers around the city for more than three years. “Women generally never do this kind of work.  This job gives girls the opportunity to prove we can do something other than housework and sewing.”

Ms Kushwah says her company doesn’t have enough cars or drivers to meet the demand.  More and more women, she says, are looking for female-only transport options.

“We don’t have men drivers, just lady drivers and that makes our clients feel safe and I feel safe too.  I don’t have any fear of my passenger and she doesn’t have any fear.”
India women safety
Source: SBS News
Women’s safety in India became a major social and political issue in December 2012 when 23-year-old student, Jyoti Singh was beaten, gang raped and tortured on a Delhi bus.  She died from her injuries two weeks later.

The incident generated widespread national and international news coverage and led to new anti-rape laws in India. However, brutal sexual assaults against women continue to be reported across the country.

Earlier this month, five men were sentenced to life imprisonment for gang raping a Danish tourist in the heart of New Delhi in 2014.

The 52-year-old woman was walking near Paharganj district – a mecca for backpackers – on the evening of January 14, 2014 when she asked a group of men aged in their twenties for directions to her hotel.

Their response was to rape and rob her at knife point.

In sentencing the men, the judge said their actions had stigmatised the nation.

The case put the spotlight back on sexual violence in India.
Ranjana Kumari is one of India’s most prominent women’s rights activists and the director of the Centre for Social Research. 

“If you are a working class woman, or a middle class woman who has to fend for herself every day, go to work, come back … meet all kinds of people in public transport, in the office, then vulnerability is very high for women.”

India’s government says it’s committed to enhancing women’s safety and believes technology can play a role.

The telecommunications ministry has announced that from 2017 all mobile phones sold in India must include a panic button.  From 2018, phones will also have to include GPS navigation systems.

In announcing the initiative, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said, “Technology is solely meant to make human life better and what better than using it for the security of women?”

It’s not yet clear how the new phones will work, but it’s likely customers will be able to call the emergency services by pressing a single button or pressing the power button several times.
Indian women turning to female only transport to stay safe
Source: SBS News
“This is a very good idea, we’ve been asking for it for a long time,” says Dr Kumari.  “But the problem is the back end – how quickly the police can respond. Will the police take the call seriously?

Dr Kumari has been working in women’s rights for more than 30 years.  She applauds enterprises like Sakha Cabs because they provide women with a new avenue of employment and offer more money than traditional female occupations like beauty therapy.

However, she’s concerned that such initiatives also create problems because they put the onus for women’s safety on women.

I think men and boys need to be equally sensitised,” she says, adding that change will only come when male taxi drivers respect women.

Despite the many bad headlines about sexual assault in India, Dr Kumari doesn’t believe India is any more dangerous for women than many other countries. And, she says, she’s seen progress over the decades.

“Now women are raising their voices, at the same time there is more response from the society, family, there is more open debate, she says.

“India has moved forward as far as gender equality is concerned, but not enough.”


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5 min read
Published 19 June 2016 6:09pm
Updated 20 June 2016 6:48am
By Lisa Upton
Source: SBS News


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